ABSTRACT Though the landscape recommends Tarcău basin as an area with fairly high tourist potential, tourism has only timidly developed. The low promotion, its limited accessibility and position in the proximity of the already acknowledged tourist areas of Bicaz and Bistriţa valleys, the economic profile focused on timber exploitation, the lack of interest shown by the authorities in the past etc, have reduced the tourist phenomenon to isolated attempts initiated by guesthouses’ owners, that tried to exploit the rural and mountainous aspects of Tarcău basin. The increasing number of secondary residences that appeared in the last few years joined them into promoting rural tourism in Tarcău area. Exploring the economic development possibilities the authorities regarded tourism as a viable one, and initiated a master plan to reshape the commune into a dual profile mountain resort. Financial resources limited the plan’s implementation considering also that the first problem they have to face is the poor or inexistent infrastructure, the creation of urban facilities becoming thus main priority.